


For Having Loved a Little While

by shooting_star



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Caleb still gets self-loathy from time to time, Explicit Rating Kicks in at Chapter Three, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Found Family, Future Fic, Kid Fic, Married Life, Penis In Vagina Sex, Pregnancy, Starting A Family, The World is Safe and Everyone is Settled Down, Vaginal Fingering, Widojest - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-10-24 04:44:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20700158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shooting_star/pseuds/shooting_star
Summary: Life for the Mighty Nein seems to have reached the comfortable peace that they longed for so many years ago in Xhorhas. They visit one another often, and have scheduled dinners every week through forever, each home taking their turn to host the rest of their found family. With the constant danger of war far behind them and day-to-day activities seeming to settle into a regular pace, Jester Widogast is starting to want a little more out of life than the quiet happiness she has shared with Caleb for over a year now.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Set three years from the current events of campaign two, "For Having Loved a Little While" is probably fairly unlike what canon will end up becoming, so I decided to include a prologue of sorts to the beginning of this piece. I hope you enjoy my first foray into fanfic!

The Mighty Nein, saviors of Wildemount and quite possibly the world, have settled down in a beautiful forest grove not far from Nicodranas. They don’t live too far from one another, all their homes within walking distance if not within sight of one another. After saving the world side by side, they find it immensely difficult to be too far apart for too long. Along the coast, the trees keep their leaves year round, and winter is just a period of more mild temperatures and frequent rain.

Fjord, a paladin of the Wildmother, lives on the beach side of the forest, in a modest home with a pier and boat sleeve. The house is only three rooms, including a bathroom, with the majority of the wooden home being made up of his kitchen and dining area. Most of the time he visits other people’s homes rather than inviting them over. The entire Nein at his place is a bit of a squeeze. He sometimes travels out to sea from Nicodranas, signing up to go on small voyages here and there to offer protection. There is no real need for the gold he is offered, and he has donated almost all of his earnings to improve the care for orphans in the cities of the Menagerie Coast. Otherwise, he fishes and lives contentedly with his companion, a sweet calico cat named Lady. His tusks are fully grown out now, and for the first time in his life, he’s begun to take pride in them. This, of course, thrills Jester to bits, and a fair amount of the time she still jumps up to pull his lower lip down to see his tusks in all their glory. Once upon a time, this would have unsettled him, but now it just brings about a quick eye-roll and a low chuckle from the half-orc.

Caduceus finds himself not far from Fjord, feeling the pull of the Wildmother from both the shoreline and the treeline. Upon settling down, Caduceus grew an entirely new garden with the blessing of his goddess, bursting with color and fragrance. He planted exotic flowers, ferns, and began to compost so that all sorts of native fungi could begin to grow. He continues to grow teas (more from dead plant matter than people these days) as well as produce that he can take in to Nicodranas as gifts to peddlers on the street, or perhaps to Jester’s mother. It goes without saying that all of his homegrown produce also tends to end up in quickly made-up recipes. Fjord is his dedicated taste-tester, and the two men live happily alongside one another, comfortable in their closeness. Cad’s home, despite it being rather new, already looks a tad run-down, and he says he likes it that way. The house is an earthen mound, covered in moss, with a nice wooden porch that exits directly into the garden. Sometimes the firbolg leaves for months at a time to visit the Blooming Grove or his family, but he always returns before too long, never wanting to be too far away from his new family.

Yasha and Beau live further into the forest, having gotten married shortly after saving the planet. Their house is a raucous and rowdy place, considering that it houses not only Beau, but the newest addition to their growing family. Merius Nydoorin is a scrappy seven year old human kid with missing teeth, scruffy brown hair, freckles galore, and bright brown eyes. The two women found him the previous year, trying to steal from Yasha’s coin purse as she and Beau made their way through Nicodranas. Yasha lifted him by his collar with the intent to scare him off, however, upon hearing he had no home and no food, they wrapped him up in a cloak and took him back to the Lavish Chateau, quickly changing the blueprints for their future home. He keeps his mothers on their toes, and as much as he likes to pretend to be irritated with the (albeit very few) rules of living under their roof, he is overjoyed to call their house his home. The Nydoorin house is considerably larger than either Fjord’s or Cad’s, the two women having decided that raising a kid requires plenty of space. The floors are often littered with toys and drawings, and neither Beau nor Yasha has the heart to pick them up unless Merius volunteers first. Having a home and a close knit family is new to all three of them. Both mothers struggle with laying down rules about limiting fun and playtime, as they were both sorely deprived of a happy childhood, and want to see their son’s smile as much as humanly possible. Merius is quickly becoming a budding dexterous talent, often taking pointers from Beau about movement and reaction. “Ama” is what he calls Yasha, and Beau is simply just “mom”, or “mama” if he’s upset. It’s only been a little over a year, and already neither Yasha nor Beau could imagine a life without their son.

Not much further down the road is the Brennato household. Usually the place is teeming with noise and energy, all coming from the four halflings that reside within. Veth, once Nott, is a halfling again, and pretty content with being an alchemist and a mother once more. Yeza has returned to his profession, and Luc, almost eight now, is beginning to learn the basics of their craft. Of course, the newest addition to their home is sweet little Molly, their daughter. She is only six months old, and just about the most darling baby in the world, according to Veth. Her name is in honor of Mollymauk, the member of the Mighty Nein that Veth most respected, besides Caleb, of course. Veth often visits with Jester and Caleb, always with the reasoning that someone has to check in on her oldest boy, not to mention the free babysitting that she usually gets out of her visits with her children. Luc loves both Caleb and Jester, but he has an obvious soft spot for his adoptive older brother, and idolizes Caleb just a bit. The younger halfling boy has picked up Zemnian just so that he and Caleb can have a sort of “secret code” since Veth won’t yet allow Luc to begin practicing magic, meaning he can’t message Caleb the way he so desperately wants to.

Last but certainly not least, is the quaint cottage that is home to Jester, Caleb, along with Nugget and Frumpkin of course! Jester and Caleb eloped in the thick of the war, each too afraid that they’d lose the other before they got the chance. Their home is filled to the brim with little plants and charming trinkets, cozy and inviting. The plants are surprisingly mostly Caleb’s pet project, and he names them all individually, not to mention that he set an entire watering schedule deep into his perfect memory. The largest room in the house is the library, which doubles as Caleb’s study and, from time to time, Jester’s studio. A small vegetable garden grows outside, and their chickens have the general run of the yard when Nugget isn’t chasing them down. Jester often takes walks into Nicodranas to visit with her mother, and Caleb generally accompanies her, happy to visit his mother-in-law and to spoil his wife with pastries from her favorite bakeries.


	2. Plus One

Sounds of the ocean carried softly along on the breeze, the afternoon sun warming the earth as it rose high above the treetops. Jester Widogast squinted up towards the sky, the wind lightly ruffling her skirts as she stood in the yard. Caleb was nowhere to be seen, and the little blue tiefling figured that the rising heat of the day had driven her husband inside. With her gardening done, she figured she might as well join him indoors and see just what he was getting himself into. 

With a practiced whistle and call, Nugget blinked into existence at Jester’s side, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Jester giggled as she bent over for a moment, ruffling the fur on top of her sweet pup’s head.

“You weren’t bothering the chickens again, right, Nugget?” she asked, an eyebrow raised as if she was interrogating him. Her blink dog tilted his head, looking as clueless and innocent as ever. Jester just shook her head and pushed open the front door, letting Nugget into the house before following along right behind him. A contented sigh escaped her as she looked around the front rooms, searching for any sign of her husband having passed through. She adored finding little trinkets and notes scattered around the house from Caleb’s work, and her search was just as fruitful as ever. Walking through their kitchen, Jester hummed a little tune to herself. She discovered a small pile of Caleb’s papers, smiling as she began to sift through them. Most of them contained notes for spell modifications and new discoveries, but one caught her eye more than others.

Upon closer inspection, it was a layout for a simple cantrip. Jester’s eyes flitted up and down the page, processing enough to realize that the cantrip was meant to set a baby’s cradle to rock at a steady pace, all hands free. She was sure that Caleb drew this up for Veth, what with the Brennatos caring for their sweet little baby girl, but the rough sketch of a crib with her husband’s handwriting next to it made her heart ache just a little.

Jester clutched the paper to her chest, immediately turning to go and find Caleb. He’d be in the library, as he often was. Quick footfalls brought her to the door of the space she so often shared with her love. She pushed open the door, not bothering to knock or otherwise announce herself. When her violet eyes settled on a familiar mop of red hair peeking out from behind a pile of books, she felt her heart melt. In their library, Caleb was in his element, always happy to be reading, learning, and growing. At the shuffle of Jester’s feet and the click of the door behind her, blue eyes glanced up and met Jester’s gaze.

“Ah, schatz, I was wondering when you were planning to come inside,” Caleb said, standing and stretching just a bit before coming over to place a soft kiss on Jester’s forehead. He playfully pinched at her cheek, and then noticed the paper that the tiefling still had held to her chest. “What do you have there, liebe?” His eyebrows were slightly raised as he inclined his head just the slightest bit, a tell of his curiosity that Jester adored.

“It’s your cradle-rocking cantrip, Caleb,” she murmured, not quite meeting his eyes. She could practically feel the confusion coming off of her husband as he attempted to connect the dots of the situation, his mind never quiet. Jester held up the paper for him, leaning into his touch more than she had been before. “Would you teach it to me, please?”

Caleb moved his head to meet Jester’s gaze again, his brows a bit furrowed as he tried to discern where all of this was coming from. “We are not due to watch Veth’s children for some time now. What is causing your sudden interest in this cantrip?” He reached out and held on to the paper for a moment so that he could read it better. This particular spell had been rather simple to work out, and according to Veth, had been an absolute lifesaver when her hands had been full with Luc or with the many chemicals and compounds that she and Yeza worked with. So why did his wife want to learn it?  
A pout bloomed upon Jester’s face as she crossed her arms, looking to the side as to avoid Caleb’s glance. “Beau and Yasha have Merius, and even Veth and Yeza had a second kid! I, like, kind of want kids too, you know?” As she spoke, the tiefling began to wring her hands, twisting the rings on her fingers as her tail waved behind her. When Caleb didn’t respond, Jester chanced a look up at her love. His face was twisted into a sort of sad and fearful grimace, and Jester immediately jumped forward, holding his hands with her own. “Caleb! Caleb, it’s okay!”

With a staggering breath, Caleb snapped back to reality, shaking his head as he unfroze. “I am sorry, Jester, tut mir leid.” He sighed heavily between his words, and then stood up a little straighter, a slight frown on his face. “I did not mean to scare you. I am just... concerned about bringing children into the world. I know that things are safe now, but after the life I have lived, I do not know if I am really meant to be a father.” Caleb cautiously met her gaze, tugging on a piece of red hair that had fallen out of his ponytail. He met Jester’s eyes just as she broke into a soft, sad smile.

“Oh, Caleb. You saved the world and you still think you don’t deserve to be a dad?” She shook her head, giving Caleb’s hands a little squeeze. “Listen, we’re totally safe and we have a really nice and comfy house that is perfect for starting a family. I wouldn’t ask you to be the father of my children if I thought you weren’t going to be a good dad or if you didn’t really deserve it, you know?” she said, swinging her hands and Caleb’s back and forth just the slightest bit. “I know you will totally be a better dad than my dad, and that’s all I ever hoped for when I first realized that I wanted to be a mama.”

Tears brimmed at Jester’s eyes, threatening to spill over as she tried to reassure her husband. He really did deserve the love and laughter that an addition to their family would bring into their home, even if he still didn’t see it. Jester was not about to let him stew in self-loathing for the rest of their married life. In fact, she was hoping that with all the good things happening in their home and with their friends that Caleb would slowly begin to love himself.

“You make good points, Jester.” A heavy exhale escaped Caleb’s lips. His brows were furrowed, as if he was weighing all of his options. Jester leaned in just the littlest bit, her eyes wide and excited. Caleb took a breath and then looked down at his wife, a small smile on his face. “I suppose that if you are ready to try this, then I am too.”  
Jester broke into a huge smile, shuffling her feet around in a little happy dance as she kept holding tight to Caleb’s hands. She took a quick breath to calm herself down, pressing a little kiss to her husband’s cheek. “We will figure this out together, okay? We always have each other.” Caleb nodded, his small smile growing a little bit. She tilted her head, putting a finger to her chin. “So, when should we start?”

Caleb raised an eyebrow, his smile finally reaching his eyes. “There is no time like the present, ja?”


	3. Components

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The smut chapter! After this it's all soft fluff and family time <3

“There is no time like the present, ja?”

Jester’s eyes widened, a grin spreading across her face before she jumped towards Caleb, throwing her arms around him as she giggled. She had to stand on her tiptoes to give him a kiss, which he reciprocated enthusiastically. Her fangs nipped at Caleb’s bottom lip, and the wizard conceded, leaning down a bit and parting his lips to deepen the kiss as his wife so desired. A sweet little sound of surprise slipped from Jester’s mouth, and she giggled into their kiss before pulling away. She placed her hands gently on Caleb’s face as a familiar warmth began to spread between her legs.

“Come on, Caleb, let’s go get in bed okay? Or do you want to fuck me on top of your books?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows with a mischievous little grin on her face. Color began to flood into Caleb’s face as his eyes darted from her to his books, and then back around to her. He started stammering out an answer and Jester placed a finger on his lips, shushing him quite effectively. She beamed as Caleb looked up at her with wide eyes. “I’m only joking, Caleb, I know your books are like your babies.” Jester watched as Caleb practically crumbled in relief, a soft smile on his still-flushed face.  
“Oh, liebchen, you will be the end of me,” he muttered, gently taking Jester’s hands in his own. Caleb began to lead her from the room, itching to get her in the bed that they shared and remove the clothing that kept them apart. He felt a small poke at his back, and started to turn around, but there was no time before he was being swept off his feet and held steady in his wife’s arms. Jester’s tail was lashing behind her and her smile was as bright as the sunshine that filtered into the room as she hugged Caleb to her.  
“Surprise!” she said, starting to make her way towards their room. It was little moments of silliness like this that made their relationship all the more exciting, she thought. Caleb was so much taller than her, but she was still able to catch him off guard and scoop him up like a little baby. She watched as Caleb attempted to hide his red face with his hands and giggled when he peeked at her through pale fingers. Jester could see the smile that poked out from beneath his hands, making the parts of his face that she could see look far more relaxed than usual.

It didn’t take long for the tiefling to make the short walk down the hall to their bedroom, and she gently deposited Caleb onto their bed before plopping down next to him. As soon as he was free to move again, he lunged forward, putting his hands on Jester’s face and peppering her with as many tiny kisses as he could. She fell into a giggling fit as Caleb held her in place, before she reached forward and ran her hands over Caleb’s sides. He seized up a bit, and Jester grinned before pitching herself forward and tickling him in earnest. Caleb yelped and then began to laugh, squirming and fruitlessly attempting to push Jester’s offending hands away. Eventually she relented, and Caleb wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. Jester leaned over and pecked him on the cheek before pulling him up into a sitting position.  
“Oh, I just remembered!” Jester exclaimed, before scooting herself towards her nightstand. Still sitting on the bed, she pulled the top drawer open and rummaged around, pulling out a small glass flask with a purple liquid glittering inside. She turned back towards Caleb and crawled over to him, holding out the potion. “I don’t think we’re really going to need this anymore, right?”

“I, ah, do not believe so, Jester.” He stared at the potion she held out to him, the purple liquid that his wife had been dosing herself with on a regular basis to keep pregnancy at bay. Her mother had given her a fair few of them when he and Jester had first begun dating. The realization that they wouldn’t really have any use for them anymore, not until after Jester had been pregnant and had their baby, seemed to strike him. He took in a sharp breath, running a hand through his hair.  
Jester tilted her head as she tried to read the expression on Caleb’s face. “Caleb, honey, what’s wrong? Everything okay?” She put the potion down on the bed and reached out to her husband, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. He seemed to shake himself from his thoughts as she made contact with his sleeve and looked over to her with a soft smile.   
“I am okay, schatz. More than okay.” He picked up the potion and set it over on his nightstand, out of the way, before he turned back to his wife to give her a kiss on the forehead. His hands lingered as he gently ran them over her shoulders and down to her sides. “The idea is just becoming very real to me. I am still wrapping my head around it, but I know that I am ready to make this thought a reality with you,” Caleb said, reaching up with one hand to tuck a wayward piece of dark blue hair behind Jester’s ear. She caught his hand and gave it a quick kiss, a mischievous smile blooming upon her face. 

Before Caleb even had a chance to raise an eyebrow at his wife’s expression, she pounced, pushing him back against their pillows. Jester’s lips crashed into Caleb’s, her kisses quick and needy. The wizard found himself relaxing into her onslaught of affection, moving his hands to her hips and guiding her down onto his knee, where she could get some of the friction that he knew she was craving. Jester made a small noise of content against his lips, and Caleb just hummed, pulling away from her mouth to nip and kiss at her neck. She continued to grind herself down against his knee, and Caleb smiled as he bit her neck, making her cry out and whine his name. It wasn’t long before Jester was sitting back, her eyes lidded with desire as she took Caleb in.  
“Caleb, I want you,” she whispered. Words so simple, but ever so sweet to Caleb’s ears. He rewarded her honesty with a quick peck on the lips and his knee grinding into her heat. Jester whined and pouted at him before furrowing her eyebrows and shoving him back against the pillows. “You know what I mean, I want something inside me!” Her tone was almost scolding, and Caleb gave her a sheepish look before sitting up slightly.  
“Ja, liebchen, I know what you want. But you seem to be a bit overdressed for such a request, and alas, so do I.” He smirked at her then, an expression that she quickly returned, her hands already moving to the hem of his shirt and tugging it up. Caleb couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm, his heart soaring with just how desirable she made him feel. She giggled along with him as he raised his arms, letting Jester pull the shirt up over his head. He lay back on the pillows, and Jester made quick work of the lacing keeping his pants on, tugging the offending fabric off of him as quickly as she could. When he was left in just his smallclothes, Jester turned around, putting her back to him. She glanced back at him over her shoulder, looking coy. 

“I need you to unlace the back of my dress, Caleb,” she said, her tone more sexy and enticing than before. Caleb sat up, feeling himself flush as his cock, already hard, strained against his smallclothes. Dexterous and practiced fingers had Jester’s dress unlaced in record time, and Caleb helped her pull the whole thing off over her head. From there the two shuffled themselves out of their smallclothes, and they were left bare, Caleb on his back against the bed, and Jester sitting patiently on his thighs. She was beaming, and Caleb felt as though she was practically glowing. The soft sunlight filtering through their curtains lit up her beautiful blue form, gold and pale blue intermingling and driving Caleb half mad with desire.

He sat up again, placing his hands gently on Jester’s hips to guide her as he switched places with her. Caleb was hell-bent on making her feel amazing, and when he set his mind to a plan, it was hard to shake him from it. Jester made a soft little “oh” sound as Caleb laid her back against the pillows and began to kiss up and down her body, his hands trailing after his mouth and making her shiver with pleasure. When his face was just about down between her thighs, he looked up to his wife, smiling as he took in her image, her eyes slightly closed as she let him have his way. She whined at the loss of contact and began to open her eyes, but at that moment, Caleb finally ducked his head between her legs, his mouth almost immediately settling over her clit. He smiled into her folds as he heard her moan and felt her push her body towards him.

Jester couldn’t help but cry out as Caleb began to eat her out in earnest, his tongue running through her folds with a practiced pace. She squirmed and whined, the feeling of his mouth on her clit making her thoughts seem hazy and far away. Hands ghosted over her breasts, and she heard herself let out another moan as Caleb began to roll her nipples between his fingers. Her tail thrashed on the bed next to her as she whined her husband’s name, her fingers digging into the sheets.

“May I put my fingers inside of you, liebling?” She heard the question, but barely processed it until her body realized that Caleb’s mouth was no longer on it. Her eyes flew open and she began to nod, pushing her body further down the bed in search of friction.   
“Please, Caleb, yes, please ple- ah,” she begged, before being cut off by one of Caleb’s long fingers inching its way inside of her. Jester whined, begging him for more as she tried to fuck herself on the single digit he had given her. She heard him chuckle, and then was overcome with pleasure as he added a second and a third finger in quick succession. She shakily moaned his name, letting herself clench around him.  
“So beautiful, Jester.” Caleb carefully studied his wife, the heavy breathing that was making her breasts move up and down, the heat of her around his fingers, and the sheer proximity of her to his cock, which at this point was hard beyond belief. He bit back a moan of his own as he felt Jester clench around his fingers, and allowed his mind to imagine that same feeling wrapped around his cock instead. Pulling his fingers from her, he gingerly placed his fingers in his mouth, happy to get a taste of Jester. “Do you think you’re ready for me, liebling?”

Jester was nodding before she had fully heard the question, whining complaints about being empty. “Yes, I’m ready, honey, please!” Her voice was desperate and filled with urgency, as though she would lose herself if Caleb didn’t get inside of her quickly enough. She cried out when Caleb dragged his cock through her folds, using her to lube himself up. Jester spread her legs further for him, her tail reaching up to wrap around him and pull him closer to her. 

Not taking a moment longer than necessary, Caleb lined himself up with Jester’s entrance, and pressed forward, sighing contentedly as the head of his cock slipped easily inside of her. Jester let out her own noise of relief at finally having something inside of her again and began to scoot herself further down the bed, trying to get Caleb fully sheathed within her faster. Responding to her eagerness, Caleb thrust forward, earning him a shaky moan from the woman beneath him. Her tail was wrapped mostly around his waist now, keeping him close to her. She squirmed under him, trying to prompt him to move, and Caleb just grinned before he pulled almost the whole way out and then snapping his hips to hers, pressing completely inside of her again.

The world felt like it was fading around Jester, falling away to just be Caleb. At her urging, he continued to pick up his pace until he was pounding her down into the mattress. Just as her toes started to curl and her tail began to tighten around him, Caleb moved one of his hands to her clit, his movements erratic as he neared his own climax. Jester could do nothing more than breathe heavily and brace for the heat pooling in her belly to release as Caleb fucked her relentlessly. He leaned over her as his pace began to stutter, and whispered right by her ear.

“Come with me, schatz.” At that, Jester groaned and let herself go, her eyes rolling back as she clenched around Caleb’s cock. Caleb almost yelled as he hit his own climax and stuttered to a stop buried deep within his wife, her tightening heat practically milking his spend from him. When he finally began to come down from his high, he flopped onto the bed next to Jester, opening his arms for her to cuddle into. She scooted into his arms, staying on her back. Just as Caleb began to open his mouth to ask why she wasn’t just leaning into him, she spoke up. 

“For one, that was like, really hot, Caleb. And for two, I’m laying like this because my mama told me once that if you stay on your back after you try for a baby it makes your chances better!” Her voice was very matter-of-fact as she looked up at her love, her eyes bright and full of love. Caleb’s confused expression softened, and he nuzzled his head against Jester’s, smiling as he kissed the top of her head.  
“I love you so very much, Jester Widogast.” His voice was quiet, but the weight of his words were impossible to miss. Jester giggled, reaching up to pat Caleb on the face with one hand as the other rested on her belly.

“I love you too, my stinky wizard.”


	4. Two Weeks Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait between updates! It's midterms season and I have been very busy with school. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

The harsh summer heat and humidity of the coast had begun to fade into the mild temperatures of fall as promises of rain drifted along on the breeze. Almost three months to the day since they had first tried for a baby, Jester was frantically searching through the dresser that she and Caleb shared, looking for her little purple notebook. She sighed with relief as she shifted a box of art supplies and revealed the familiar worn cover. Fishing it out of the drawer, Jester plopped down on the ground, hurriedly opening the book and beginning to count. Contained within was a calendar that she had made ages ago to help her track her periods. It had come in handy during her adventuring days, but she had gone ahead and kept up with it even after she had retired. It was a small and consistent comfort, and besides, her mama always said that it never hurt any lady to keep a record of her cycle.

A small gasp escaped her as her finger traced through the schedule that marked her cycle, skipping right over when her last period should have started as she found the current date. She was two weeks behind! A hand immediately moved to cover her mouth as she stared with wide violet eyes at the dates in the book. She checked again, tracing her finger across the pages more slowly and carefully this time, as if her actions would change the symbols and dates on the paper. Nothing shifted, and her finger still told her that she was two weeks behind on her cycle.

Jester quickly scrambled to her feet before bolting out of the room that she and Caleb shared. Her sudden movements and loud footsteps startled a sleeping Nugget, who yelped and poofed out of existence for just a moment, returning to the material plane an instant later with a surprised look on his face. The little blue tiefling stopped in her tracks, kneeling down to pat her poor puppy on the head. 

“Oh, Nugget! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you so scared,” she said, giving the blink dog a little peck on the nose. He quickly moved forward to return her affections, but instead of bowling her over as he usually would, he seemed to restrain himself, licking her face gently before ducking down to sniff at her blouse. Jester’s eyes widened. If she hadn’t been sure before, now she was almost certain. After years of being close with Caduceus and having many conversations with him about creatures both great and small, Jester knew in great detail just how much her furry companion could sense. “I believe you, buddy, but I still have to check one more way, okay?” She gave Nugget another pat on the head and stood up, making her way much more calmly down the rest of the hallway that led to the bathroom.

Quietly shutting the door behind her, she let out a quiet sigh. When Jester had told her mama about her and Caleb trying to have a baby, the Ruby had offered Jester a simple cantrip to use, one that would allow her to find out if she was pregnant without many materials or much fuss. She’d even provided Jester with a little bottle of baby’s breath flowers, the one material component other than water that the cantrip required. It wasn’t difficult to find the bottle in the cabinet above the washbasin, as Caleb was generally pretty organized other than when it came to his arcane studies. Jester held the bottle in her hand for a moment, staring at the dried flowers within. In moments, her entire life could change.

The cantrip was simple. All Jester had to do was place a dried flower in her hand and run some water over it while she said the incantation. If the dried flower bloomed back to life, she was pregnant. If it stayed dry, she was not. She gently shook a flower from the bottle into her hand, taking in a shaky breath. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? Her and Caleb had wanted a child for so long now. Jester tentatively dipped a cup into the bucket of water that they kept by the washbasin and then carefully poured a little stream of it over the flower and her hand. She murmured the words she had been taught and watched the flower as if in a trance.

A few moments later, the baby’s breath burst to life in her hand, a small offshoot growing from the bottom as the petals bloomed again. Her reaction was so sudden that she nearly dropped the flower and fell backwards onto the floor, but thankfully she caught herself in time. She stared at the little flower in awe, lightly poking at its petals with her other hand. She was pregnant.

Oh, Traveler, she was pregnant! She had to tell Caleb! Standing bolt upright, Jester began to move towards the door, but she froze as she realized that above even her own husband, she should probably tell her mama first. Her loving mama, who had raised her alone and still let her go on all sorts of wild adventures. Jester nodded to herself. If she was really starting this new adventure, of course her mama had to be the first to know. She held up her wrist, which still bore her holy symbol, and murmured the short incantation for sending. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind and spoke from the heart.

“Mama! It’s me, Jester, and I’m pregnant! I did your cantrip and the flower bloomed and you are going to be a grandma! Love you!” She grinned at her neat little twenty-five words, and smiled impossibly wider as her mama’s gentle voice filled her head.  
“My little Sapphire! Oh, Jester, I am so happy for you. Please come visit me soon, and bring Caleb along. I love you so very-” she said, her voice fading as the spell cut her off. Jester smiled to herself for a moment, basking in the warmth of her mama’s sentiments before remembering that she still had to tell her husband.   
She practically bounced down the hall, patting Nugget as she passed him again. Pushing open the front door to the house, Jester beamed as she looked out upon the yard. The chickens were milling about in the afternoon sun, the breeze making the day much more mild than hot. It didn’t take her long to spot Caleb, who was hard at work weeding their little patch of garden not far from the front porch. She just watched him for a moment, smiling softly as careful hands pushed aside healthy growth to get at the weeds underneath. Frumpkin was laying next to him, no doubt happily keeping Caleb company. It was such a peaceful scene that Jester almost hated to say or do anything, but her news was a tad more important than an idyllic afternoon. 

Bolting into the yard, Jester yelled out to Caleb, whose head snapped up faster than she thought possible. Truthfully, it was only after years of living with Jester that his responses to her antics had become so instantaneous. Just as he was getting to his feet, Jester jumped up at him, sending them both down to the ground with a heavy thud. Caleb just chuckled, pushing a bit of stray hair out of his face. 

“Well, hallo there, Jester.” His expression was soft as he looked up at her from the ground, his eyes full of love as he took her in. She giggled at his nonchalant greeting and helped to pull him up so that they were both sitting upright in the dirt, Jester in Caleb’s lap. His arms lazily encircled her waist and he gave her a peck on the forehead before leaning his head against hers. “Is your excitement for a special occasion, or are you just happy to see me?”

Jester rolled her eyes at his remark, playfully pushing his face away from her as she stuck out her tongue. A soft laugh fell from his lips and she giggled herself, unable to resist her husband’s infectious happiness. “Actually, it is sort of a special occasion, Caleb,” she teased, her tail waving back and forth behind her. The baby’s breath bloom was still enclosed in her hand, and she grinned when one of Caleb’s eyebrows quirked in response to her answer.

“What is the special event, schatz?” he asked, pulling away slightly as he attempted to study her face. Caleb was always thinking so much, trying to predict what she would say or do. As always, Jester found his curiosity endearing, but this time she was determined to tell him her news before he even had time to guess for himself. She placed a gentle hand on his cheek and smiled, trying to quiet his busy mind before she very slowly opened her hand and showed him the living blossom that sat in her palm.

It seemed to take him a moment to process what he was seeing, but then his eyes snapped directly up to hers, tears already forming in the corners of his deep blues. Caleb opened his mouth to speak, but Jester hushed him for a moment and just leaned forward to hug him close to her. His response was fierce and loving as he held her tightly to him, not wanting to let go for anything. Jester felt a little wet drop on her bare shoulder and pulled away for a moment, only to find herself face to face with a tearful Caleb. He had the biggest smile on his face, and he was hurriedly attempting to wipe his tears away, but to no avail. Gently placing her hand on his face, Jester looked up at Caleb, meeting his gaze. He let out a shaky breath and spoke.

“I am just so happy, Jester. The tears will stop soon,” he murmured, before realizing that his wife’s eyes were glistening with tears of her own. “Oh, liebling.” He pulled her back in for another hug, holding her gently to him as he kissed her on top of her head. Jester giggled wetly from where her head was buried in his shirt, shifting a bit to look up at him again.

“It’s really happening, Caleb!” Jester took him by his hands and excitedly jumped up and down. Caleb just chuckled and dried his eyes with the one hand he had managed to get away from her before he tried to get her to calm down. At this point, she’d let go of his hands and was doing a little happy dance all on her own. He couldn’t help but just watch her for a moment, reveling in her happiness, in that infectious smile of hers. After he’d given her a moment, Caleb stepped forward and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, slowing her bouncing to a stop.

Wide violet eyes met his gaze and Caleb placed a small kiss on her forehead. “So, liebe, who else have you told?” He raised an eyebrow as he smiled good-naturedly. Caleb knew his wife far too well to assume that he would be the first person she would tell. Jester took a moment to respond, as if she had to count up the amount.

“Well, right now it’s just you and my mama!” When she said that, Caleb’s other eyebrow shot up to join his previously raised one, and Jester burst out giggling at his surprise. “This is a big thing, Caleb! I haven’t even formally told the Traveler yet, you know? This is our thing and I wanted to see what you wanted to do first.” She held one of his hands with both of her own, giving it a little kiss. She could see Caleb’s mind whirring, sorting through the new information and trying to formulate some kind of plan. His eyes lit up and she leaned in a bit, knowing that he had come up with something.

“We will have all of our friends here in two weeks for dinner. Why don’t we tell all of them then?” Jester nodded at her husband’s suggestion, her face looking a bit more serious as she considered it. It was a really good idea, actually. That way everyone would be in the same place at the same time and they wouldn’t have to worry about leaving anyone out, even the kids! Breaking into a small smile, Jester began to tug Caleb towards the house.

“I like the idea of telling everyone then, but right now I’m hungry!” she said, already moving on to the next thing on her to-do list for the day. Caleb’s laughter rang out across the yard as he jogged to keep up with his wife. Jester scolded him when he reached the door, reminding him that she was eating for two now, which only served to make Caleb laugh again. Jester rolled her eyes and playfully shoved him inside, her tail waving behind her.

Once Jester was through the door, Caleb stopped her in the entryway. She tilted her head up at him, confused. When he began to kneel down, her confusion only got worse, until, that is, Caleb gently placed his hands on her belly, leaning in to give it a little kiss. Jester covered her face as it flushed with color, immediately enchanted and flustered by how sweet Caleb’s gesture had been. When he didn’t move, Jester peeked out from behind her hands, and was met with the sight of her husband speaking in Zemnian to their unborn child. She recognized the words for hello and some of the sweet pet names that Caleb used with her and felt herself begin to tear up. 

Jester tapped at his shoulder and he looked up, getting to his feet not long after. “Oh, liebling, I did not mean to make you cry,” he murmured, lightly kissing her cheeks and forehead between his words. Caleb took her hand and gently guided her towards the kitchen. “Come on, I’ll make you and the baby some bearclaws. Would you like that?” Jester rubbed at her eyes and nodded furiously before following him, the promise of cinnamon and pastries settling her emotions for the time being.


End file.
